RAW TALK
12 min readMar 14, 2021
Women’s History (Month)
I’m honored to celebrate Black Creatives that are makers, creators, and visionaries. As part of the Walker Wear RAW Series, and as a continuum from Black History Month to Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating our stories and sharing some HerStory.
Meet Toni Scott Grant
- When did you become interested in fashion? I became interested in fashion at about age 9 or 10. I just remember starting to really dig it, paying attention to every detail from having a stylish mother, sisters and aunts. Making Barbie clothes out of my old clothes and pillowcases. By the time I hit middle school and with the advent of MTV, it was over. By high school I was immersed in it, little sketch pads, finding my own style and learning about designers and the different aspects of fashion through visual and mixed media. Artists like Jody Watley and Janet Jackson undeniably signified beauty and style to me. They simply had it, still do. I was almost always trying to do differently what everyone else was doing and didn’t care that it made me an odd ball. I thank God for my 10th grade English teacher, Mrs. McGruder, she introduced me to Baldwin, Basquiat and Patrick Kelly. It was Patrick Kelly I took the most liking too and thereafter discovering Willi Smith. So, I knew the possibilities and struggles, early for Black designers.
- Why did you decide to be a stylist? What year was that? The year was around ’95. The term ‘fashion stylist’ hadn’t really caught on in Houston, but I was familiar with it because of dope women like Dawn Haynes, Sybil Pennix and Misa Hylton. I’d read the back of every CD or album cover to see who did the wardrobe and I’d file those names in my memory bank along with the visuals from magazines, behind-the-scenes music videos, etc. As luck would have it, one of my closest friends through middle and high school, Jamie Williams was in a trio group called, ‘Tha Truth’ on Priority Records. She called me up to rave about Dawn and Misa both of whom had styled the group for promo. She kept urging me to get to NY or LA where the work was as I was stuck in a day job that I hated and working nights and weekends with one-off local style projects in Houston.
- How did you get your foot in the door? What was your process? It’s true what they say about right place, right time. In ’97 my girl’s group, ‘Tha Truth’ were having great success with their debut album as they were dubbed the ‘first ladies’ of Def Squad. She called me up and asked if I’d style them for their Houston club appearance. I remember her exact words, “Toni — you should do it — you dress flyer than anybody I know, everyone loves YOUR style + this is your chance to be the STYLIST that I know you can be.” I thank her to this day because she lit the fuse for me. I pulled things from my closet to help dress the girls and ran to the mall to grab some accessories just in case. My biggest, most notable break would come in 1998 meeting music producer Timbaland and having the opportunity to style him for an upcoming 10-city promo tour. My process is simple, I start with a full understanding of the client. What and who they are, any unique qualities, quirks and their overall personality. People dress the way they feel, and they always have a go-to piece, something that they feel akin to that defines their style. I start by asking what that piece might be and work around it or work something within the look that helps with that identity. We have more of a relationship with dressing and fashion than we realize. Drawing on color, mood, textile and fabrics depending on the job is also critical. It’s important to ensure your client’s interior is good. If they dig it, it will show up in the work whether film, print media or television.
- What are some of the qualities needed to become a stylist? A good eye for detail is a must — you should be able to size someone up just from a visual structure. A great sense of style and an understanding of trends, different periods in fashion, fabrics/textiles, budget forecasting, a working knowledge of designers and basic sewing skills. It takes time to build relationships in this industry and some can be destroyed quickly from poor communication and a lack of business sense — these are KEY in this game. It’s an exceedingly small world. A good stylist is super organized and resourceful. There is more to fashion styling than designer brands and red carpets. I’ve seen “stylists” who are unable to use a retailing tag gun or create a spreadsheet for contacts and budgets. You must be thick-skinned and adaptable in most any setting because you might be on a red carpet one day and in a forest in the middle of nowhere in the muddy cold the next (my life seriously). The client is not your friend in most cases, you are there to do a job and be of service. It’s not personal — its business. The best quality to me is to love and have passion for it, all of it. The good, the bad and indifferent.
- Have you encountered any obstacles? For sure. There was a time after my ride with styling mostly music videos within the hip-hop and R&B community that I was over it. I remember in certain ‘fashion’ circles how if I mentioned what I did, the death stares or uncomfortable silence. When I tried to pull from showrooms for clients who were lesser known it was an automatic no. I used my own credit cards buying and prepping clothes and returning them — just to ensure I could get good photos to build my portfolio. There were jobs I really wanted that I couldn’t get because I didn’t have the inside connect at the record label or agencies and wasn’t willing to do things that compromised my integrity or reputation. I faced rejection head on, particularly because I was so new to the city and even after working with a major artist, nobody cared. NYC is a hard place to break, especially in this industry. But I never surrendered, I knew the transition would be painstaking. I quit a dream job in fashion to do a low-budget film that shot in the Hamptons. It was my first opportunity as an assistant costume designer. I wasn’t in the costuming union, so I didn’t know the pay rates, I was simply happy to get the job. But I was still working my day job. I asked my boss for a leave of absence for the 2-week period, she said no, and I quit to do the movie. I was unemployed after the movie wrapped. In NYC with rent to pay, lol. I didn’t care, I was so happy for that experience I honestly would have did it for the free room in the Hamptons and filming on location in the mansion and beach sides. Those things had to happen exactly as they did. It built my muscle. Did I mention that when we left that night to drive up to the Hamptons in those vans, I didn’t know that we wouldn’t make the drive back and forth, so I brought absolutely NOTHING to wear. No change of clothes, no overnight bag, nothing. Just riding along. We get to the hotel and have a production meeting, and this is where I found out this was a 2-week shoot that wasn’t returning to NY until it wrapped. SIGH. I embarrassingly had to be taken to one of the little shops for undies, shorts, tees and toiletries. They made fun of me the entire time, LOL. I still didn’t care. I got the sweetest note from the director that I still have to this day.
- Do you feel you’ve ever encountered oppression or racism within the fashion industry? I took a job working in publicity as a PR assistant for a contemporary women’s clothing brand. I was the only Black woman at the company beyond the HR manager and she didn’t speak to me or acknowledge my presence for months. If that wasn’t enough, the girl’s in sales were very cliquish, not very warm. My first 2-weeks I remember I had to go into their area every morning to retrieve the daily press releases printed out from the copier. One girl would without fail, always loudly say, “What’s up girlfriend” and make the snapping circular formation with her fingers. It was racist; she was Italian as most of them were and I remember the smug look and the sniggle from them. I’d look back from the copier and not utter a word. By week 3, she tried me, and I gave her the business and she of course apologized and got teary-eyed about what she didn’t mean, sigh. We eventually became cool because respect is earned not given. We’d even do presentations together at Bendel’s. Whenever Essence or Honey magazine would come in for appointments, I remember how they’d usher me to the front of the showroom and if client’s like InStyle or Vogue would show up, my boss would give me extra projects to busy me in the back. Anna Wintour showed up to view our spring collection and without uttering a word to me, she flung her coat in my arms and walked past me as if I were Casper The Friendly Ghost, the Black version. Unbeknownst to her, I was also a part of the PR team that would be going over the looks. So many of us have dealt with these microaggressions and outright racist behavior disguised as ignorance and arrogance. Working in film and television is no different when those of us who are qualified to work in any genre or period are only hired for shows/movies with a majority Black-cast — if hired at all. Yet, our white counterparts are hired time and time again for not only shows with a majority white cast, but some of your favorite shows/movies with a majority Black cast also has a majority white costume department, starting with the costume designer. There certainly isn’t a lack of talent where this is concerned and the explicit reason why creating our own seats at the table is extremely important. He who holds the pen, holds the power and makes the rule. Only post-George Floyd have I seen a smidgen of proactiveness to change this which still feels like tokenism.
- Is gender and race an issue for the fashion industry from your encounters? If so, how. Please explain or share a story. Yes. I worked as a prop stylist many years ago and I had a gig for the Tic-Tac brand. We were shooting in a museum here in NY. The production company’s manager remarked, “Surely SHE (pointing at me) isn’t making the pickups for props”. He was overtly racist and sexist. I assured him that I could do the job. He kept insisting that the PA (his cousin, I would later find out) could do it as he was male. It was a fight to the death to handle basic drop-offs and pick-ups. He didn’t like me; I didn’t care and aced the gig. But it wasn’t easy. Instead of a van, he rented a big, long U-Haul truck that I had to drive in and around the city by myself. I had never driven in NY, but I had a license, and I handled my business. I got a few tickets and had to fight with them about this. But I know if I were male and White, he would have had no issue. I was in fact, the only Black woman they hired because it was a referral. I’ve had men not take me serious based on their perceptions of me, make disgusting predatory comments in front of me about other women and treat me as less than capable, particularly when I worked in hip-hop in the early days. The just-sit-and-look-pretty exhaustive approach to meetings, obtaining work, networking, etc. only to be overlooked for leadership roles yet used as a prop to get the gig. When you’re young, you really don’t know any better. At times I was a fish out of water, a Texan, Black, female and green. I’d see males I worked with use completely different tones with their buddies and switch-up with females. Now that I run a streetwear brand, I sadly still see the pervasive boys’ club that excludes women, particularly Black women who still struggle to be seen, heard and hired.
- Have you ever had any showroom difficulties, creating relationships or pulling samples because of the color of your skin? I’ve had credentials for pulls from luxury brands for A-list clients triple-checked, submitted for inquiry (while I waited) behind my back and sabotaged. I’ve been outright ignored in luxury retailer spaces for pulls and even if I’ve sadly had to name drop the client, it has sometimes been met with resistance as if I shouldn’t be the one with the opportunity.
- If you could style anyone in the world of your choice, who would it be? Why? Angela Davis. I’d love to GLAM her up or put her in some boss streetwear owned by and for Black women (yes, this includes my brand Haus of Swag) and hear all those Panther Party stories. I’d ask her what her favorite colors are, who chose the ‘revolutionary’ themed looks and why. I’d want to know what makes her feel beautiful and alive and I’d love to dig into her archives of fashion and see for certain public/media interviews, court appearances, etc. why she chose what she did, both in color and in fashion. Does she have any favorite fashion designers, if so — who? In my head there are reasons, lol — but she may not have cared or have been particular about fashion at all. But I can totally see Angela in our most coveted, ‘I Am One Dope Chick’ styles. She is the embodiment of that. I’m embarrassed to say I’ve been in her physical presence twice and both times I’ve been so awe struck that I couldn’t say a word. Sat right next to her for an Essence event and one other time at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn at a meet and greet. Rarely do I ever get this way, but she’s so iconic — yet cool and laid-back. I hope there’s a biopic on her soon. She deserves her flowers.
- What advice would you give a young black or brown person wanting to become a fashion stylist? I’d ask, would you do it for free? If the answer is yes — soak up everything you can regarding fashion and not just the aesthetics and design aspects, but the business side as well. Be willing to accept defeat, the fashion industry can be very cutthroat. Never take no for an answer. Sometimes no, means not right now, keep plugging away at your skillset and homing in on what makes you uniquely gifted. Now more than ever there is an array of change makers within the industry who look like you, Black and Brown people. They are at those tables and are willing to extend an opportunity to you, but you must do the work, let your talent lead. Be mindful of what you post on social media; brands, executives and talent agencies do check your page if its public. Network, network, network in order to build your client base and resources. The fashion industry is multi-layered so there are more opportunities than design and styling, look for those to get your footing. Find a mentor and take up an internship in your respected field, i.e., retail, film, television, etc.
- 11. What’s your personal style? Boy-girl but chic. If I can express myself in streetwear in the REAL sense of its cultural intention, I’m good. There must be a sense of originality to it, otherwise I’m bored. I wore a Celine dress, Converse sneakers and a Prada moto leather jacket to the 2019 Black Girl’s Rock ceremony so there’s that. Some days I want to wear all black and combat boots, and other days I want to put on a pretty yellow dress with Air Jordan’s.
Toni Scott Grant is a Houston native and costume designer and wardrobe stylist in the world of film, media and television and has worked with a host of celebrity clientele. Toni’s works includes, the Hulu’s 8-part series ‘Wu-Tang: An American Saga’ and Emmy-award winning Dick Wolf’s production of ‘FBI’ on CBS as a set costumer as well as assisting in the costume design departments for the ‘Superbowl 54 Halftime Show’ with Jennifer Lopez and Madonna’s, ‘Madame X’ Tour. Toni is a member of the NY Local 764 Theatrical Wardrobe Union, IATSE, and she lives in New York with her husband. Toni is also renowned for developing a streetwear brand called Haus of Swag, celebrating women and girls of color fashionably.
IG @toniwithaneye
@hausofswag
Photo Credits
Creative Direction/Styling: @toniwithaneye
Photographer: Derrick Grant
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